Door operated space conditioning dispenser



y 1967 H. K. GRAVES 3,318,489

DOOR OPERATED SPACE CONDITIONING DISPENSER Filed Dec. 6, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l 72/ 55 Z5? 27 1548 52 If) INVENTOR. flan/nee K 62.41/55 W w v ATTORNEYS May 9, 1967 H. K. GRAVES 3,318,489

DOOR OPERATED SPACE CONDITIONING DISPENSER Filed Dec. 6, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 s\ IIIIIIIIIIII Illlllllll m INVENTOR. Awmeo K Gem/6s /M ar ATTORNEYS Patented May 9, 1967 3,318,489 DOOR OPERATED SPACE CONDITIONING DISPENSER Howard K. Graves, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to Ray Dolac Enterprises, Inc., Niles, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Dec. 6, 1965, Ser. No. 511,661 9 Claims. (Cl. 222-180) This'invention relates to improvements in space or room air conditioners of the kind which dispense limited quantities of a conditioning substance such as deodorizer, perfume, and the like, in response to a predetermined stimulus, and more particularly concerns a dispensing device of this character responsive to movement of a door to dispense a predetermined, measured quantity of a conditioning substance into the air of the room.

While it has been proposed to mount a space conditioning dispenser on or in association with a door and comprising a squeeze-type container and means for squeezing the container to squirt a quantity of fluent material through a nozzle of the container, some difficulty in attaining uniformity of result has been experienced with the squeeze bottle arrangements. Where such squeeze bottles are manually operated several squirts may be introduced into a room space optionally by the user. With a door, however, a single squirt or discharge of conditioning material with each swinging movement of the door is ordinarily all that may be expected. Squeeze bottle nozzles are generally of limited, and even poor atomizing ability in order to avoid undue resistance to manual squeezing.

Accordingly, it is an important object of the present invention to provide a new and improved door operated space conditioning dispenser assembly which will generate sufficient thrust to actuate a pressurized container nozzle control valve responsive to ordinary and matter-of-course swinging movements of a door.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved door operated space conditioning dispenser which will supply a single measured discharge of conditioning material in each door swinging cycle.

A further object of the invention is to .provide a new and improved dispenser construction of the character described comprising a self-contained unit adapted to be mounted on a hinge pin of a door.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved door operated space conditioning dispenser which discharges upwardly.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved force-motion translating device especially suitable for door operated space conditioning dispensers.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a dispenser assembly embodying features of the invention and mounted in operative association with a door;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view on a slightly reduced scale taken substantially on the line lI-II of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view of the device removed from the door and without the conditioning container.

According to the present invention there is provided an assembly for dispensing an atmosphere-conditioning material such as a deodorant from a container 5 into a room space responsive to swinging of a door 7 about a hinge 8 mounting it on a door frame 9. For this purpose, the hinge 8, which may be of the common butt hinge type, is provided with a replacement hinge pin 10 which has a collar 11 rigid therewith adjacent thereto but spaced from its upper end and serving as a stop against the top'of the hinge joint.

Above the collar 11, the hinge pin 10 has an upwardly projecting head extension 12 of suitable length to support the remainder of the dispensing assembly thereon in association with the collar 11. Accordingly, a bracket 13 is mounted on the hinge pin through a sleeve '14 engaged on the pin extension 12 and resting at its lower end on the collar 11. Extending integrally laterally from the mounting sleeve 14 is a pair of coextensive splayed side flanges 15 joined by a base web 17 and terminating in a spaced parallel pair of coextensive, complementary container-supporting arms 18 which project a suitable distance outwardly beyond the outer end of the base web 17 to receive an annular mounting flange collar 19 on the head end of the container '5. To receive and retain the collar 19, a segmental annular groove 20 is provided within the forward edge of the web 17 and the inside faces of the arms 18 aligned therewith. An entrance into the groove is provided between the inner ends of the arms 18 and with the adjacent ends of the groove provided with respective retainer detent lugs 21 having their outer sides contoured to afford leadin cam surfaces. By having the supporting arms 18 relatively resiliently flexible, mounting of the container 5 is adapted to be effected by moving the mounting collar 19 into the outer end of the groove 20 and by inward pressure against the detents 21 causing the arms 18 to spread apart until the diameter of the collar has passed the peaks of the detents whereupon the collar under continuing inward thrusting pressure will snap past the detents and fully into the groove into retained engagement therein and with the mounting collar being embraced over more than of its perimeter. Suitable resilient flexibility of the arms 18 is assured by constructing the bracket 13 of an inherently self sustaining, but resiliently flexible material in small cross section, such as a moldable plastic, of which the material commercially available as Delrin is a commercial example. Assured resilient flexibility of the arms 18 is attained by suitably separating them from the web 17 as by means of respective slots 22 extending inwardly to a point short of the juncture of the arms 18 with the splayed side flanges 15, affording an adequately thin flexure section transversely in the arms 18 but a vertical width which is great enough to avoid any substantial flexure of the arms in a vertical direction. Through this arrangement moderate inward pressure applied to the container 5 effects snapping mounted en-' gagement thereof in the groove 20 and for removing the container a reverse, outward .pull thereon with substantially the same effort will snap the mounting collar 19 free from the groove. As mounted, the container presents an upwardly extending atomizing nozzle 23 having an upwardly opening atomizing orifice 24. Within the top of the container and operatively associated with the nozzle 23 is suitable metering valve mechanism of a known type operative upon depressing the nozzle by downward pressure against an annular triggering flange 25 about its lower end, to release through the atomizing orifice 24 a predetermined quantity of an atmosphere conditioning material impelled by a pressurizing dispersal fluid such as Freon. Means are therefore provided for operating the nozzle 23 in response to swinging movements of the door 7, herein comprising a depressor 27 mounted on the bracket 13 constructed and arranged to be actuated by an actuator 28 mounted in association with the bracket 15 on the mounting hinge pin extension 12.

relation to the trigger flange 25, with respective downwardly projecting thrust nibs or pads 32 engaging the upper face of the flange. Extending upwardly integrally from the hub 28 is an actuating arm 33 which is desirably rigidly connected with the presser arm 31 by integral 'brace flange structure 34. Rocking of the depressor 27 toward the nozzle 23 as indicated in'dash outline in FIG. 1 causes the pressure arm 31 to depress the nozzle 23 and thus release a charge of conditioning material from the container.

For translating swinging movement of the door 7 into rocking movement of the depressor 277=for operating the atomizing nozzle 23, the actuator 28 desirably comprises a generally bell crank lever including a fulcrum hub 35 pivotally mounted on the pin extension 12, with a spacer sleeve 37 separately formed or integral with the hub spacing the hub above the hub sleeve 14 of the bracket. Extending horizontally from the hub .35 is an elongated follower arm 38 desirably provided on its distal end portion with a cushioning knob or sleeve 39 engageable with either the door 7, or the jamb 9, depending on whether the device is mounted on a lefthand mounted or righthand mounted door. In the illustrated instance a lefthand mounted door arrangement is depicted. Integral with the proximal end of the arm 38 and with the hub 35 is a shorter preferably right angularly outwardly extending actuator arm 40 which is adapted to swing into depressor rocking relation to the depressor arm 33 when the actuator 28 is pivotally swung about the pin extension 12. Retention of the actuator 28 against upward displacement from the pin extension 12 is suitably effected by a keeper such as a press-on nut or cap 41 of the selfretained gripper teeth type engaged upon an upwardly projecting terminal portion of the shaft extension.

Although a simple camming actuation contact between the actuator arm 48 and the depressor arm 33 may be provided, a desirable arrangement comprises an escapement mechanism effective to rock the depressor momentarily and then release the same as the arm 40 swings past the arm'33 in one direction and passing freely in the opposite swinging direction. To this end, an escapement pawl 42 is mounted within a horizontal inwardly opening slot 43 in the distal end portion of the arm 40 and is pivotal on an axle pin 44 to which it is fixed. Normally the pawl 42 is biased as by means of a torsion spring 45 acting on a downwardly projecting portion of the axle pin 44 to orient the tip of the pawl toward the arm 33 in the ready, closed door position of the actuator 28. Upon opposite relative swinging movements of the bracket 13 and the actuator 38, the tip of the pawl 42 engages thrustingly in a notch 47 defined by one side of a vertically extending escapement tooth projection 48 integrally on the inner side of the upper end portion of the arm 33 and offset from the side of the arm toward wlnch the pawl approaches. The pawl 42 projects from the end of the actuator arm 40 in a predetermined greater distance than the clearance between the end of the actuator arm and the inner face of the depressor arm 33. Therefore, translation of relative swinging movement of the bracket 13 and the actuator 28 toward one another is translated into rocking movement of the depressor 27 by engagement of the tip of the pawl 42 in the notch 47 whereby the escapement tooth 48 blocks passage of the pawl which is thus caused to straighten out in the con tinuing relative pivotal movement of the bracket and tive pivotal movements of the bracket '13 28, the tip of the pawl released from the notch.47 and r by the pivotal mounting and spring biased relation of the e actuator until the pawl is in substantially straight alignment with the arm 40, as visualized in dot-dash outline in FIG. 2. As a result, the depressor 27 is rockingly thrust by the straightening pawl 42 toward the dispenser nozzle 23, depressing the same, as best seen 111 FIG. 1, and thereby triggering a discharge of atormzed atmosphere-conditioning material from the container 5 As the pawl 42 pivots over-center in the continuing relaand the actuator the pawl slides past the tooth 48 being then snapped by the spring 45 into its normal angled axis relation to the longitudinal axis of the arm 40. During return relative swinging movements of the bracket 13 and the actuator 28 to starting position, the pawl 42 rides freely past the tooth 48 as permitted by the opposing cam surfaces of the pawl and tooth and the resilient yielding pivoting enabled awl. p Return biasing means'are desirably provided for the depressor 27, conveniently comprising a hairpin torsion spring 49 engaged about the pivot pin 29a and having 015* posite arms thrusting under spring load against respectively the underside of the depressor arm 31 and the underlying surface provided by the bracket 13. Depending stops 49a on the hub 29 engage the web 17 in the up wardly biased position of the depressor whereby to mamtain the arm 31 clear of the arms 18 to facilitate assembly of the mounting collar 19 and the triggering flange of the container without interference from the arm 31.

Means are provided to maintain operative connection of the bracket 13 and the actuator 28 with the door 7 and the frame 9 to follow opening and closing of the door; Although if desired such connection may comprise direct mechanical linkage, or the like, a more convenient arrangement requiringno direct attachment of mechanism to the door or frame and thus avoiding mutilation thereof, as well as greatly simplifying installation of the dispensing assembly, comprises resiliently biasing the bracketi and actuator into following relation with either the door or the door frame selectively and alternatively, depending on whether a lefthand or righthand door is involved. Conveniently, the biasing means comprise 3 coiled torsion spring 50 mounted about the spacer sleeve) 37 and having respective opposite terminals 51 and 52 anchored in the bracket 13 and the actuator 28 under torsional bias of the spring normally urging the bracket and actuator to spread apart into positive following con nection with the door and frame, as the case may be. As a result, the terminal cushion 39 on the actuator arm 38 is maintained in spring-biased thrusting engagement with the door 7 in the illustrated mounting of the assembly, or V alternatively with the door frame structure if mounted on an opposite hand door. Similarly,'the bracket 13 is biased toward operative connection with the iamb structure 9 in the illustrated mounting, or toward the door in an opposite hand mounting. To maintain an adequately spaced relation of the container gripping arm portion of the bracket on the engaged room surface to acconimodate the container 5 freely, a lateral spacer thrust arm 53 desirably extends integrally rigidly from the side of the bracket opposite to that from which the actuator arm 38 extends and carries a terminal cushion 54 which thrusts in following relation against the opposing room surface, 1n this instance the frame 9, and more particularly trim 55 thereon, where the frame is equipped with such trim.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present invention provides a new self-contained atmosphereconditioning dispensing assembly which is exceedingly simple to mount in association with a door by which it ported. Thus, the assembly is installed in place for operation simply by dropping it into place after removing the conventional hinge pin.

Although minor modifications might be suggested by those versed in the art, it should be understood that I wish to embody within the scope of the patent warranted hereon, all such modifications as reasonably and proper- 1y come within the scope of my contribution to the art.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination in an assembly for dispensing an atmosphere-conditioning material such as deodorant into a room space responsive to swinging of a door about a hinge mounting it on a door frame;

a door hinge replacement pin;

a bracket mounted on and entirely supported by said replacement pin so that the assembly can be dropped into place by removing the conventional hinge pin from the hinge of the door and replacing it with said replacement pin;

means carried by said bracket and said replacement pin for operating an atomizing-nozzle-equipped dispensing container responsive to swinging movement of the door about said replacement pin; and

means on said bracket for supporting the dispensing container in position to be operated on by said operating means.

2. An assembly as defined in claim 1, in which said operating means include a depressor rockably mounted on the bracket for actuating a depressible dispensing noz zle structure on the container and an actuator pivotally mounted on said replacement pin and active to rock said depressor during swinging movement of the door.

3. An assembly as defined in claim 2, in which said depressor and said actuator have a one-way esc-apement mechanism operative to effect rocking of the depressor during swinging of the door in one direction and remaining inoperative in the swinging movement of the door in the opposite direction.

4. An assembly as defined in claim 1, in which said operating means comprise a nozzle-depressing rock lever pivotally mounted for up and down movement on the bracket and an actuating lever coactive therewith and pivotally mounted for side-to-side movement on said replacement pin.

5. An assembly as defined in claim 1, in which said bracket and that portion of the operating means carried by said replacement pin have respective followers for engaging respectively the door and the door frame, and

biasing means acting on and between said bracket and said pin-carried portion maintaining said followers in operating connection with the door and frame.

6. An assembly as defined in claim 1, in which the bracket and the pin carried portion of the operating means have respectively oppositely extending arms operatively engageable with the door and door frame.

7. An assembly as defined in claim 1, in which said bracket has resiliently flexible gripper arms for snappingly releasably engaging a collar on the container and thereby retaining the container in operative association with the bracket.

8. In combination in a motion and thrust translating assembly:

a supporting structure;

a rocking member pivotally mounted on said supporting structure and having a thrust portion extending substantially beyond its pivot for engagement with a member to be motivated thereby and a force-receiving portion extending from said pivot angularly relative to said thrust portion; and

an actuating lever intermediately pivotally mounted on an axis transverse to and spaced from said pivot of said rocking member, said lever having an arm operatively opposing said force-receiving portion and including means to thrust thereagainst and effect rocking of said rocking member upon relative swinging movement of the lever about its pivot, and another arm on said lever for operative connection with a movable object for driving the lever pivotally relative to said rocking member.

9. An assembly as defined in claim 8, in which said force-receiving portion and said thrust arm have one- Way escapement mechanism effecting rocking of the rocking member in one swinging direction of movement of said lever and being inoperative in the opposite direction of swinging movement of the lever. 1

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 6/1961 Manheimer 222- 7/1962 Hogstrom 239274 

1. IN COMBINATION IN AN ASSEMBLY FOR DISPENSING AN ATMOSPHERE-CONDITIONING MATERIAL SUCH AS DEODORANT INTO A ROOM SPACE RESPONSIVE TO SWINGING OF A DOOR ABOUT A HINGE MOUNTING IT ON A DOOR FRAME; A DOOR HINGE REPLACEMENT PIN; A BRACKET MOUNTED ON AND ENTIRELY SUPPORTED BY SAID REPLACEMENT PIN SO THAT THE ASSEMBLY CAN BE DROPPED INTO PLACE BY REMOVING THE CONVENTIONAL HINGE PIN FROM THE HINGE OF THE DOOR AND REPLACING IT WITH SAID REPLACEMENT PIN; MEANS CARRIED BY SAID BRACKET AND SAID REPLACEMENT PIN FOR OPERATING AN ATOMIZING-NOZZLE-EQUIPPED DISPENSING CONTAINER RESPONSIVE TO SWINGING MOVEMENT OF THE DOOR ABOUT SAID REPLACEMENT PIN; AND MEANS ON SAID BRACKET FOR SUPPORTING THE DISPENSING CONTAINER IN POSITION TO BE OPERATED ON BY SAID OPERATING MEANS. 